and it's opting praises to you this music service Lord was to just pay attention to the words that we're singing him if you
Would just a closer walk to be him number
399 start there right on the first we go through some announcements
You don't have one raise your hand brother Cameron will bring you one on the front is that Bible memory passage of the week?
Hebrew 615 keep up the work memorizing this really excited to hand out some of that anchor Baptist Church
Merchandise soon and of course also there's those gift cards to like on the inside is the service times listed there Sunday morning at
1030 a.m. Sunday evening at 430 and our Wednesday evening Bible study 7 o'clock p.m.
We do have our soul winning times listed there had a good day out soul winning today some craziness happened
But some salvations too, so it's a good time
I also make note that Saturday rally is highlighting gold there this Saturday
We're gonna have a ton of people from out of town, so it's a good one to go to should be lots of labors this Saturday
Looking forward to that time nursing home ministry schedule is listed there
I believe there's 15 today in service right brother Cameron
Yeah, so that ministry is going great keep up the great work on that preachers our statistics for soul winning is listed there
Make sure to report your salvations to the soul winning leader or to that email address if you get someone saved on your own
Throughout the week on the right is our prayer list for expecting ladies. Please. Keep the Reed family in your prayers during her pregnancy
also upcoming events next weekend is going to be the
Transition weekend from steadfast to anchor Baptist Church looking forward to that looking forward to the good food the good Texas barbecue
Fellowship with pastor Shelley and pastor Thompson a lot of out of towners. It's gonna be a great time really excited
Hope you guys to join us that weekend December 20th ladies Christmas party December 21st is our Christmas soul-winning push
That's gonna be a Saturday rally that we're just gonna get some breakfast and coffee catered for that time
Also next time you come to church there will be the Christmas caroling in there as well
So look forward to seeing that in the bulletin
Online giving is there if you scan that QR code if you would like to do that on the back is our prayer list you have
Any updates that you'd like added to the prayer list, please email, and I'd be happy to do that
That's gonna be it for announcements this evening
Let's go ahead and go to our third song right for a third song if you would take your hymnal and turn to him number
327 higher ground him number
327
And number 327 we'll go ahead and start there right on the first I'm pressing
The upward way new heights, I'm gaining
Chapter number 11 good evening tonight
We're in Luke chapter number 11 and the Bible reads and it came to pass that as he was praying in a certain place
When he ceased one of his disciples said unto him Lord teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples
And he said unto them when you pray say our father which art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come that will be done as in heaven so in earth
Give us day by day our daily bread and forgive our sins for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us and
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil and he said unto them
Which of you shall have a friend and shall go unto him at midnight and say unto him friend
Lend me three loaves for a friend of mine in his journey has come to me
And I have nothing to set before him and he from within shall answer and say trouble me not the doors now shut and my
Children are with me in bed. I cannot arise and give thee I say unto you though
He will not rise and give him because he is his friend yet because of his opportunity
He will rise and give him as many as he needeth and I say unto you ask and it shall be given you
Seek and you shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you for everyone that asketh
Receiveth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened if a son shall ask bread of any
Of you that is a father will he give him a stone or if he ask a fish
Will he for a fish give him a serpent or if he shall ask an egg will he give him a scorpion if you then?
Being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children
How much more shall your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him and he was casting out a devil and it
Was dumb and it came to pass when the devil was gone out the dumb spake and the people wondered
But some of them said he casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils and others
Tempting him sought of him a sign from heaven
But he knowing their thoughts sent unto them every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation
And a house divided against and a house divided against the house falleth if Satan also be divided against himself
How shall his kingdom stand because he say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub
And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils by whom do your sons cast them out
Therefore they shall be your judges, but if I with the finger of God cast out devils
No doubt thy kingdom the kingdom of God has come upon you when a strong man armed keepeth his palace
His goods are in peace
But when it's stronger than he shall come upon him and overcome him he taketh from him all his armor wherein he trusted and
Divideth his spoils he that is not with me is against me and he that gathereth not with me scattereth
When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man he walketh through dry places seeking rest and finding none
He sayeth I will return unto my house once I came out and when he cometh he findeth it swept and garnished
Then goeth he and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself and they enter in and dwell there and
The last state of that man is worse than the first and it came to pass as he spake these things a certain woman
Of the company lifted up her voice and said unto him blessed is the womb that bare thee in the paps
Which thou hast sucked but he said yea rather
Blessed are they to hear the word of God and keep it and when the people were gathered thick together
He began to say this is an evil generation
They seek a sign and there shall no sign be given it but the sign of Jonas the prophet
Fresh Jonas was fresh. Jonas was assigned to the Ninevites. So shall the son of man be to this generation the queen of the south
Shall rise up in judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them for she came from the utmost
Parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon and behold a greater than Solomon is here
the men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment with this generation and shall condemn it for they repented at the preaching of Jonas and
Behold a greater than Jonas is here
No, man when he hath lighted a candle put it in a secret place neither under a bushel
But on a candlestick that they which come come in may see the light the light of the body is the eye
Therefore when an eye is single that whole body is also full of light
but when an eye is evil that body is
Full of darkness take he therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness
If that whole body therefore be full of light having no part dark the whole shall be full of light as when the bright
Shining of a candle doth give the light and as he spake a certain Pharisee
That sought him to dine with him and he went in and sat down to meet and when the Pharisee saw he marveled that he
Had not first washed before dinner and the Lord said unto him now
Do you Pharisees may clean the outside of the cup and the platter but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness
He fools did not he that made them did he not he fools did not he that made that which is without
Make that which is within also
But rather give alms of such things as he have and behold all things are clean unto you
But woe unto you Pharisees for you pay for you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs and
Passover judgment and the love of God these ought you to have done and not to leave the other undone woe unto you
Pharisees for you love the up the uppermost seats in the synagogues and greetings in the markets woe unto you scribes and Pharisees
hypocrites for year as
Graves which appear not and the men that walk over them are not aware of them
They answered one of the lawyers and said unto him master thus saying that has thus saying thou
Reproach us us also and he said woe unto ye also lawyers for ye laid men with burdens
Grievous to be born and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers
Woe unto you for you build the sepulchres of the prophets and your fathers killed them truly you bear witness that ye also
Truly you bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers for they indeed killed them and ye build their sepulchres
Therefore also said the wisdom of God. I will send them prophets and apostles and some of them
They shall slay and persecute that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world
May be required at of this generation from the blood of Abel unto the from the blood of Abel
Unto the blood of Zacharias which perished between the altar and the temple verily I say to you
It shall be required of this generation
Woe unto you lawyers for you have taken away the key of knowledge ye entered not in yourselves and
Them that were entering in ye hindered and as he said these things unto them the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him
vehemently and to provoke to speak many of provoke him to speak of many things laying wait for him and seeking to catch
Something out of his mouth that they might accuse him. That's by our heads for word of prayer father in heaven
We thank you for this day in our church
And we just ask to fill but also the Holy Spirit and help us to have a smooth transition next week
Amen, all right. We are in Luke chapter 11. Let's start reading in verse 1
The Bible says and it came to pass
That as he was praying in a certain place when he ceased one of his disciples said unto him Lord
Teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples and he said unto them when you pray say our father which art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done as in earth
So in heaven give us day by day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we also for we also forgive everyone
That is indebted to us and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
This is a very famous passage. This is known as the Lord's Prayer and this evening
I'd like to do a little bit of a Bible study on the topic of prayer
You know, this is something that Jesus taught on and even his disciples who were pretty mature Christians
Asked of Jesus Christ Lord teach us to pray and I think sometimes people can come from a lot of different
Backgrounds when it comes to churches and religions that have kind of strange ideas on prayer or just you know
Straight-up false doctrines on prayer. And so the title my sermon this evening is teach us to pray teach us to pray and right off
The bat I'll just tell you my points this evening
We're gonna talk about the practice of prayer how to pray the purpose of prayer and the promise of prayer
So I want you to keep your finger in Luke chapter 11 throughout this evening sermon
But first of all go to Luke chapter number one
What I want you to first of all know about the practice of prayer is that prayer should be directed to the Father
Prayer should be directed to the Father all throughout the Bible when Jesus is giving us instructions on how to pray
He tells us to pray to the Father
Luke chapter 1 verse 12 says this and he said unto them when ye pray
Say our father which art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come
Thy will be done as in earth as in heaven so in earth
I may have told you the wrong place there was that the right place guys Luke 1 to 2
I might have given you the wrong place there. I might have just had to read you that one
I apologize for that, but if you're listening as I read that verse you heard Jesus say our
Father which art in heaven so you do see sometimes
Examples of people in the Bible praying directly to Jesus for example when Stephen is stoned
He calls upon God saying Lord Jesus receive my spirit
And I'm not saying is anything necessarily wrong with that when it comes to getting saved
I usually lead a person off in prayer dear Jesus because there's no other head
There's no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved you're calling upon the name of the Lord
but when it comes to the vast majority of your prayers your day-to-day prayers and
When we're gonna look at what Jesus actually told us to do the vast majority of the time you're directing the father
You're directing your prayer to God the father go to Matthew chapter 6 Matthew chapter 6
Let me show you a few instances of this
Matthew chapter 6 verse 6 Jesus said but thou when thou prayest enter into thy closet and when thou hast shut thy door
Pray to thy father which is in secret and thy father which seeth in secret shall reward
The openly and whenever you are studying the Bible or you're trying to establish doctrine
You always want to make sure that statements trump stories, right?
So we do have stories of people praying directly to Jesus and again
I'm not saying there's anything necessarily wrong with that. But if we're gonna establish a doctrine
I'm gonna go off the one that Jesus told me to do Jesus Christ
Just plainly says when you pray say our father
He said when you go when you go to your closet and pray say pray to thy father, which is in secret
Go to John chapter 15 John chapter number 15 John chapter 15 verse 16
Jesus said ye have not chosen me
But I've chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain that notice
whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name
He may give it you so again
Jesus is telling us to direct our prayer to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ, right?
So when we pray we start off by saying dear Heavenly Father dear God or just father or something like that
And usually when we end our prayers, we say in Jesus name
We pray amen and what we're saying in Jesus name is that we are bringing this prayer
To God the Father in the authority under the direction of the Lord
Jesus Christ because he told us to pray to the Father and when we say in Jesus name
We're invoking Jesus's authority as God's son to bring a prayer directly to God the Father now go to Luke chapter 11
I want to read for you first Timothy 2 5 says this for there is one God and one
Mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus. So the Lord Jesus Christ is
identified as a
Mediator between us and God and when it says God there
It's clearly referring to God the Father because the Bible teaches the concept of the Trinity that there are three persons one
God God the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit
Jesus is that mediator so when we pray to God
He is the mediator between us and God you don't have to go to a priest like the Catholics teach where they'll say
Hey
When you pray you actually have to go to a priest and you have to tell the priest what you want from God and confess your
Sins to the priest then the priest will bring it to God
No, you actually can go directly to God the father
Through Jesus Christ the son another thing when it comes to the practice of prayer is that prayer should be reverent
Prayer should be reverent. What does that mean? It means respectful
It's something that should be highly, you know honored and holy and not taken lightly
Luke 11 chapter 2 when he's giving his model prayer here
He says and he said unto them when ye pray say our Father which art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name hallowed be thy name that word hallowed means regarded as holy
venerated
Sacred, you know when we are praying we should address God in a very
Respectful manner and realize that here we are in this gigantic universe
We are mere dust and we are kneeling before an almighty holy God and talking to him
You know, you better take that seriously and be reverent and it's not you know
Dear homie, like you see these stupid t-shirts that people wearing Jesus is my homie
Jesus is my bro. No God is the everlasting
creator of the entire universe who has the power to create life and to kill in hell you're talking to God Almighty and
So when you're praying, you know, you should take it very seriously. You should be reverent and specifically when
Calling him by his name, you know how low be thy name call him
You know dear Heavenly Father or something that just gives him honor and glory and it's not it's not to do a show to repeat
Oh, look, he's speaking religious talk, you know, he's speaking pastor talk or something like that
No, but truly God's name should be hallowed and we should truly give God reverence and respect, you know
I don't like it when people pray and and call him daddy
And that's just me maybe but I've heard someone do this before and this person ended up being a false prophet
But they'd pray and be like daddy. I just pray that she blessed this and that it just gives me the creeps
You know God is is is my father. Yes, but you know what? I don't want to call him daddy
I don't want to be around people that really want to call him daddy to me. That's just weird
Okay, you know what? It's Heavenly Father. It's the Prince of Peace, you know, give him a title. It's in the Bible
You know, there's no there's no daddy in the Bible. Oh, but we can call him Abba father
Well, Abba still sounds better than daddy. Okay, call him Abba father
I guess if you have to but not daddy, please go to Luke chapter 18 Luke chapter 18
And I think there's a balance here, you know, you don't want to have this idea of prayer where you're like, well, that's such a holy
Sacred thing that I can't do it unless all everything's right
I have to be in a big beautiful building with a big steeple in in a fancy place in order to pray to God
No, that's not necessarily true
But you also don't want to go to the other extreme where you're just totally flippant when you're talking to God. You're irreverent
You're not actually thinking about who you're talking to. You know, there's a balance there that yes, you could pray anywhere
Of course, God wants us to pray anywhere. But when we come to him, we should do it with respect with reverence and honor now
part of being reverent and respectful to God is just having humility before him just
Acknowledging him and his highness and authority compared to us as lowly sinners, you know, that's part of being reverent to God
I'll show you a story that illustrates this Luke 18 10
The Bible says two men went up into the temple to pray the one a Pharisee and the other Republican
The Pharisee stood and prayed us with himself God that's a fine title that he gives but here's the problem
Notice what he says God I thank thee that I am not as other men are extortioners unjust adulterers
Or even as this publican I fast twice in the week. I give tithes of all that I possess
So here you got a guy who sure he gives God a correct title. God just means ruler
That is a respectful title to give the Lord, but he's still praying irreverently because he's coming to God with pride
He's coming to God basically just to tell him. Hey God, I'm amazing
Hey God, I'm awesome. God. I just wanted to thank you that I'm not like other people that I'm not like this publican standing next to me
That is a stupid idiotic way to pray
You know
You need to check yourself and make sure you're not going to God and just talking about how great you are
And I wouldn't even believe that people did this except for the fact that it's in the Bible
So I just might as well just preach it just in case
Okay, don't pray to God just boasting of yourself. Don't come to God with this prideful attitude of all the great things
You know what what's very a good idea is to come to God and just tell him dear heavenly father
You know, I'm thankful for the opportunity to even be able to bring my prayer requests to you. Thank you for even hearing me
I'm not even worthy of you granting my requests God
But will you please just harken your ear to me?
That is the correct way to go to God because that is showing that you respect his authority
That you're reverent to who God is and you understand who you are
You are dust you are a sinner and so am I and that's the attitude we should have of ourselves
Look at verse 13 and the publican standing afar off would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven
But smote upon his breasts saying God be merciful to me a sinner now
That's a good prayer right there
and it doesn't matter if you're unsaved or saved that prayer can still be true for you because it doesn't matter if you're saved run
Saved you are still a sinner and you know, it's always a good idea to ask God for mercy because if we got
Everything we deserved while our lives would look terrible
Our lives would look a lot worse than it does right now because we don't deserve the blessings God gives us
We don't deserve his forgiveness and long-suffering. That's why it's grace is because we don't deserve it, right?
So it's a good idea to reverently address God by his name by some sort of reverent name and come to him
Humbly asking for mercy verse 14. I tell you this man went down to his house justified
Rather than the other for everyone that exalted himself shall be abased and he that humble with himself shall be
Exalted, you know, that's a common phrase that we hear used all the time that if you exalt yourself, you'll be a base
You know, that's something we even use in our modern vernacular
But it's in the context of Jesus teaching on prayer
and so we need to remind ourselves that when we go to God in prayer, we need to go to him with a humble heart a
Humble attitude and if we do that the Bible says that we'll be exalted this man walked away
Justified God was pleased with his prayer go to Matthew 6. I want to read for you Ecclesiastes 5 2
The Bible says be not rash with thy mouth and let not thine heart be hasty to utter
Anything before God for God is in heaven and thou upon earth
Therefore let thy words be few and excuse me again. This goes to
Understanding your position with God. He's saying look God is in heaven
Okay, we can't even conceptualize what that is like right now someday
We'll know but God is on heaven and here you are
Puny sack of dust on earth and so you don't want to be rash with thy mouth
You don't want to just blow off your mouth to the Creator
You know what you want to be not hasty you want to be circumspect with your words and think before you pray saying
I'm speaking to God Almighty and God of course wants to hear from us
He wants to hear our heart, but you know what you should just take a minute to
Appreciate who you're talking to because I think sometimes prayer can just become such a habit daily that we do all the time
Where we forget the gravity of what we're doing and we forget the gravity of that
It's such a privilege to be able to go to God the Father in prayer
You know, we should do that reverently another thing when it comes to the practice of praying just how to pray prayer should not
Be done as a show. Excuse me, Matthew 6
Matthew 6 5 says and when thou prayest thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are for they love to pray
Standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets that they may be seen of men
These are your Pentecostals that like to go out on the streets and do their faith healing
They want to pray to be seen of men barely I say unto you they have their reward
But thou when thou prayest enter into thy closet and when thou hast shut thy door
Pray to thy father which is in secret and thy father would see it in secret shall reward thee openly
But when you pray use not vain repetitions as the heathen do for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking
Be not ye therefore like unto them for your father knoweth what things you have need of before you ask them
So Jesus is explaining the heart of these
Hypocrites and he brings up a couple different characteristics of his prayer says that they're doing it to be seen of men
Says they're they're not going in secret to pray to God
They're trying to do it openly and as a result they receive their reward
Openly and then it's talking about how you know, he doesn't want us to use vain repetitions like the heathen do
So what are some lessons we can learn from this?
Well, I think one of the lessons is that God wants for the majority of our prayers to be done in private now
Of course, there's nothing wrong with praying publicly or corporately as a church here, you know, there's power and coming together
Multiple believers praying but the majority of your prayer life should not be just when other people see you pray
And you know, you ought to examine your life and ask yourself
You know when I pray is the majority of that time just when I'm bowing my head at church
With everyone else or in front of my family or do I ever actually just pray by myself to God?
Because when Jesus illustrates prayer here
He's saying he's not even saying like you're around your family or your friends like you're going into a closet by yourself
That means just you alone praying to God, you know, that should be the majority of your prayers
Now, how can you do this? I think that a way you could do this is just by praying often and we're gonna talk about that
A little bit. I don't want to get ahead of myself. But also he says don't use vain repetitions
So, of course, you know, there's there's Catholics that do this they repeat the Lord's prayer
But you know
I even see Baptist do this sometimes because I'll be honest one time I went to an old life beat church and the pastor
Asked for a man to pray before the service and I am NOT kidding you he prayed for like 30
Minutes straight. I'm not joking just the prayer before the service and it was so
Repetitive it's like dear Lord. We just pray that you do this Lord and Lord. I pray that you do this Lord and Lord
I pray that you do this Lord and Lord. I pray this you do. It's just like Lord Lord Lord Lord Lord
Lord, it's like God hears you he heard you the first time you said his name
It's just Lord Lord Lord Lord over and over and over and over again look and this went on for like 30 minutes
But you know what this is not trying to pick on the guy that did this
It's putting on a show is what it is because you know what when you pray before the service
You just ask that God will bless our service
They gotta bless the preacher fill him with the Holy Spirit help us to receive his word
And then you sit down so we can get on with the service you want to pray for 30 minutes great do that at home
But someone that wants to pray for 30 minutes at church is someone that wants everyone to think look at how awesome
I am look at how spiritual I am look no one wants to endure that
No one wants to sit here for 30 minutes and listen to you say a bunch of nothingness
It's ridiculous and Jesus says that those people are putting on a show now go to Luke chapter 18 Luke chapter 18
So also for first Thessalonians 517 says this pray without ceasing
You know some people get this idea that if you're gonna pray boy
You better have blocked out 30 minutes to an hour of time in order to get along with God
you better be waking up every day at 4 a.m and getting on your face before God and spending time with him and
They think like prayer always has to be this really long thing and that you're not doing prayer, right?
If you're just giving God just a few minutes here and there
No, the Bible says pray without ceasing and that does not mean that you are praying for 24/7
You know 24 hours a day seven days a week. That is impossible always but when the Bible says pray without ceasing
I think what it's saying is that you're always at any moment at any moment
You're just ready to pray you see a need you're just boom you pray, you know
It's a good idea. You see someone on the side of the road that's crashed
You just boom you pray for him. Yeah, you know you see something bad happen out in the world
you just pray immediately you get a text on your phone from your brother in Christ asking for a prayer request just stop what you're
Doing right there and pray to God because I think a lot of people don't pray because they hear this
Hyper-spiritual garbage preaching that says you have to be on your knees for an hour a day if you're gonna pray to God now
Look if you do that great, but keep that to yourself. Otherwise, it's not real
It's a show and I'm sure there are Christians that do this in sincerity
But I don't know any of them because they haven't told me because if they did tell me I would know you're fake
You're someone that wants to be seen of men
But here's the thing there is nothing wrong with just having a bunch of just short prayers throughout your day
Don't think that you have to get in some ivory tower or some old
Medieval church and get down on your face for hours and hours for God to hear you
No
God is ready to hear us at any time
God's ready to hear you when you're driving down the road or you're in the shower or you're running or your exercise like whatever you're doing
You know you could pray to God at any time
Don't think you have to put in all this crazy amount of time because when that kind of stuff is preached
Let me just tell you what happens people just say well
Then I'm not gonna pray then because I'm not gonna put that much time into it because yeah, sure
Maybe the pastor is doing that I kind of doubt it a lot of times, but maybe he really is doing that
But you know what that's just an unreasonable expectation for people and here's another thing
You don't see it in the Bible. You see very few long prayers in the Bible. Sure
You got first Kings chapter 8. It's the second longest chapter in the entire Bible
It's pretty much Solomon Solomon dedicating the temple in prayer. But here's the thing. That's a huge event
Dedicating the temple. Yeah, it kind of makes sense that Solomon is
Having a long prayer there as the leader as the king, but you know what the vast majority
I'm talking 95% of prayers in the Bible are short very short
God help me with this. God, please help me with that. That's what the majority prayer should be
I told you go to Luke 18 verse 1 the Bible says and he spake a parable unto them to this end that men ought always
To pray and not to faint so Jesus taught this parable with the goal of getting people to pray and not to faint
Meaning I don't want you to quit on prayer
He doesn't want us to get to a season of life where we've just abandoned prayer that we've stopped prayer
But honestly, I think this type of preaching is doing more harm than good
I think it's actually doing harm for people's prayer life when preachers get up and act like you got a pre you got to pray for
Hours a day. No, it'll actually cause people to pray always and not to faint and say hey
It's totally fine to pray to God at any time you want for as long as you want or as short as you want
But hey, don't do it to be seen of men. Don't do it as a show
Don't do vain repetitions, but go to God in your closet now. You don't have to turn to these
I just want to read several verses of you for you of the Apostle Paul modeling this for us Romans 1 9
For God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his son that without ceasing
I make mention of you always in my prayers
So he's following this
Ephesians 6 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watching there into with all perseverance and
supplications for all Saints
Philippians 1 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making requests with joy Colossians 1 3
We give thanks to God and the father of our Lord Jesus Christ
Praying always for you Colossians 4 12 Epaphras who is one of you a servant of Christ salute with you
Always laboring fervently for you in prayers that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God
So this is what not ceasing to pray looks like it's saying like hey, you guys are always in my prayers
I'm always making requests for you guys in my prayers. He's not saying hey 6 a.m. To 6 a.m.
I'm repeating mindlessly prayers to God for you. He's just saying hey, I go about my day
I think of you guys in Colossi. I pray for you
Hey the bishops and deacons at Philippi in Philippians chapter number one. He's saying hey, I'm remembering you guys
You're in every prayer of mine when I think about you. I say a prayer
You know that actually is very effective because if you just think like well, I'm gonna pray for our pastor friends
I'm gonna pray for these churches, you know at a specific time every single day
But here's the thing you're gonna get so busy and you're think like well
I don't I don't have 30 minutes to pray for all these people
But you know what's good is like when you think like hey, I'm thinking about pastor Anderson day
Just God, please bless him in his ministry. Just boom that quick you think about pastor Shelley
Hey God, just pray that you bless pastor Shelley help him in the ministry to be successful
You know what that that is a blessing to other people that's actually gonna cause in the long run
More prayer to be done in your life than the person that has this all-night marathon once a year
Maybe you know the person that just all the time. I think of someone I pray for them
I think of someone I pray for them. That's a good habit to get into go back to Luke 11
So we talked about the practice of prayer. How do you pray you pray to the father you pray reverently you pray often
You don't do it to be seen of men
These are just some mechanics of how to pray and because not everything not everyone's taught these things
But let's also talk about the purpose of prayer. Why do we pray?
Well, one reason is to ask for God's will to be done
Look at verse 2 and he said unto them when you pray say our father which art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come notice thy will be done as in heaven
So in earth, you know what this proves is that God's will does not automatically happen
Otherwise, why would Jesus be telling us to pray that God's will is done on this earth?
That would be absolutely meaningless. Look, we don't believe in Calvinism
We don't believe that God is just orchestrating every human being like a puppet master or a computer programmer or something like that
No
We have free will and we could actually pray for things to happen in this world for God's will to be done
You know, for example, it is not God's will that any should perish but that all should come to repentance, right?
God wants people to be saved and so a good prayer for God's will to be done in that area
Would to be to pray for what Jesus asked for more laborers. Hey, the harvest is wide under harvest
There's there's plenty of work to be done. But what's lacking is laborers
So one thing that I pray often that is going to help accomplish God's will is that God will send us more
Laborers because guess what without laborers God's will is not going to be done
Oh God's will just automatically be done. No matter what no, actually if our gospel is hid
It is hid to them that are lost. No God's will is for them to be saved
But if you don't preach them the gospel if we don't have laborers
They will go to hell and that's God's will not being done
So, you know what you should pray for that God's will will be done Matthew chapter 26 go to Matthew 26
Matthew 26 verse 39. This is Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane about to face death on the cross in verse 39
He says or it says and he went a little farther and fell on his face and prayed saying oh my father if it'd be possible
Let this cup pass from me
Nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt and you know
Jesus is having to face his own teaching here for us to pray for God's will to be done and Jesus was such a humble
Servant that he wanted God's will to be done so much that he was even willing to lay down his own life for God's will
To be done now, of course, he was praying God if there's any other way if this cup can pass from me
You know if we could make this salvation plan happen without me being tortured to death
I'd really like that to happen God
But if it's your will that I die on the cross
Thy will be done and you know that is how God that is the purpose of prayer is for God's will to be done
Because this is what a lot of people think the purpose of prayer is God
Grant me everything that I want in my lustful flesh. That's what a lot of people think God
I want more money God. I want to live in a nicer house. God. I want to have a better car
I want to live a better life. It looks sometimes it is God's will to give you those things
But sometimes praying for God's will could mean
Sacrifice could mean your own detriment go to first John chapter 5 first John chapter number 5
And so, you know when you pray for God's will to be done
You better mean that because sometimes God's will can be a little rough from a carnal perspective
Now oftentimes God just blesses us with great wonderful things that are not a sacrifice whatsoever
You know, I think that's the vast majority of my life. It seems like that. God just mostly gives me blessings
I haven't really been through that many hardships and tribulations especially compared to other people in this world
You know God's given me beautiful children and a great place to live in a great church
Like God has blessed me a lot. That's the majority of prayers
I feel like God's just blessing me with great stuff
But I also understand that if it's God's will for me to suffer, I'm just willing to do that
I'm willing to suffer for Christ first
John 5 14 says and this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask anything according to his will
He here with us. See this is a condition here. God hears us when we ask according to his will
This is why it's so important to read your Bible to know what God's will is
I feel like a lot of Christians, especially if they go to like a new evangelical type of church rock and roll style
Liberal church a lot of them are probably praying for things that aren't God's will like pastors being you know, permissive of divorce and
Remarriage, you know, I hear people. I'm just praying for God's will in my life of whether or not
I should marry this divorced guy. It's like that's a stupid prayer
God's not gonna hear that prayer because the Bible already says that that's not God's will or it's like hey, you know
I'm divorced and my spouse wants to take me back and I'm just praying if that's the right thing to do
It's the right thing to do unless you've already been remarried according the Bible. But if you actually know the will of God, yeah
Reconciliation is the right thing to do. Oh, I'm just I just don't know if I should you know, hang on to this marriage
I'm just praying that God reveals his will to me if I should stay married
Nope, it's already God's will and God's not hearing stupid prayers like that. Sorry to tell you
There are some prayers that the question is wrong. How can a question be wrong? Questions can be wrong. Hey God
I just want to know, you know, is it okay if I drink alcohol?
No, don't ask stupid questions that are against God's will. He hears you when you ask according to God's will verse 15
But here's the good news and if we know that he hear us
Whatsoever we ask we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him
If you're always praying according to God's will you will always get what you pray for and like I said sometimes
That could be nothing but great blessings and positivity in your life
But sometimes asking for God's will to be done can feel negative at times, but it's still God answering your prayer
And it's still God giving you the things that you ask for
So you should always pray for God's will to be done
Don't pray for things that you know are sinful that you know are against the commandments
And if you're unsure then it's good to just say
Laura just pray that you'd answer this prayer request according to your will and just put it out there like God
I want your will to be done in this situation because there's times where you don't know what the right decision is and like
You know, the Bible gives us God's perfect will on a lot of things like commandments, you know things like that
But sometimes you'll face the situation in life like hey, I've got a couple of different job opportunities
You know, I don't know which one to take that would be a time just be like God
I just pray that your will would be done that you'd open the right door that you want me to take that you close the
Other one, you know
That'd be a time where you just ask for God to show you his will in that situation and he often does it go to
Luke chapter number 11 to Luke chapter 11. What are we talking about the purpose of prayer?
Why why to pray?
Another reason that you'd want to pray is to ask for provision ask for God to provide for you
Luke 11 to the Bible says and he said unto them when you pray say our Father which art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done as in heaven. So in earth verse 3
Give us day by day our daily bread and you know, one of the aspects of coming to God humbly is
Acknowledging to yourself and to God that you need him day by day because sometimes we could get really comfortable in life
And we could think like I've got a great career. I've got great assets
I'm good to go and you could forget to ask God to provide for you
But let me just remind you that we live in a Jewish Federal Reserve fake system of currency and all of it can be gone
At any moment, it's paper money. It's fake fiat currency
And so even if you think you're financially secure, you should still just pray for God to provide for your needs
Day by day and you know what the Bible teaches that you know, God's never let his people starve, right?
I've never seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread
But you know what you should still even though you know God's gonna provide for you
You should still just have the humility to ask him because you know
If you're a father in this room, you understand that sometimes you just want your children to ask you for things
You just want them to be humble and just realize like hey dad's got the answer
Dad's the one that's got the resources or mom's the one that's got the resources and I'm just gonna ask them for it
You know kids your parents want you to do that and God wants God wants us to do that to him to ask for
Provision go to Matthew 6. I'll read for you Philippians 4 19
The Bible says but my God shall supply all your need according to his riches and glory by Christ Jesus
You know, it's good to remind ourselves
Especially in times like today where the economy is hard for a lot of people to remind ourselves of these promises that God will
Supply our needs but you know what? We should still ask for it
We should still ask God to provide for our needs Matthew 6 verse 30
Jesus said wherefore if God so clothe the grass of the field
Which today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven shall he not much more clothe you?
Oh ye of little faith. He's saying just look outside look at the grass. It's been fed
It's been given the nutrients that it needs it grows and quite honestly
No one even cares about grass yet. God still provides for it. How much more does God care about us?
You know, sometimes I look back in my life and I just I'm kicking myself and I'm just thinking like why was I so?
Stressed all that time about finances or about making ends meet because it's like here I am today. I never starved
It's never homeless. You know, that's a good attitude. Just remind yourself like look never been homeless in the past
God's always taken care of me in the past and when these times come where things are tight or you're struggling financially
Just remember hey look outside. Hey, the grass is still growing
God doesn't even care about the grass, but he does care about me
And so I'm gonna be just fine verse 31 therefore take no thought saying
What shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewithal shall we be clothed?
Don't stress about where you're gonna get your food. If anyone is really struggling in here
I've got plenty of possums. I can give you I could get a possum a day
I will help you if you need that. Okay, you just might have to learn to make it taste good
I don't want to figure that out. But if you really need it, I got you
All right
Notice what it says verse 32 for all for after all these things do the Gentiles seek for your heavenly Father knoweth
That you have need of all these things right? God is omniscient. Of course. He created us
He knows our bodies need food. He knows we need water
He knows what we need right but verse 33 says this but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all
These things shall be added unto you take therefore no thought for the morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself
Sufficient unto the days the evil thereof see most people they get this formula completely backwards
They only think about how they're gonna provide and how they're gonna provide clothes and how they're gonna provide food
They are taking thought for the morrow all they could think about is they're planning for tomorrow, right?
All they could do is stress about these things and then they put seeking God on the back burner
So it's money first career first planning financially first making sure I'm financially secure first
Then I'll give my leftovers to church
Then I'll learn to go soul winning then I'll become a preacher then I'll read the Bible
No, you got it completely backwards. You want to eliminate this stress in your life put the kingdom of God first
Meaning, you know, oh I can't I don't make enough money to go to church three times a week
I got to work, you know every second I possibly can no no
No, you can't afford not to go to church you can't afford not to put God first
You cannot afford not to be a soul winner. You can't afford to skip your Bible reading for work
You can't afford to skip your prayer for work
No
You have to put God first seek the kingdom of God first and his righteousness then all these things are added unto you
You know, there's very few soul winners in this world. You think God wants him to starve to death?
There's very very few soul winners in this world and you really think that God wants you to starve to death
No, if you're a soul winner and you work hard, here's here's what you do
You seek God first you work hard you pray and you just forget about it
And when you do that God just seems to always take care of people that I know do that
I'll read for you Psalm 37 25
Bible says I've been young and now I'm old yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed
Begging bread go if you would to Luke chapter number 11 Luke chapter number 11
What's another reason that we pray verse number four says and forgive us our sins
For we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us and lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil
This is one of the aspects that Jesus Christ told us to pray for is to pray for forgiveness for our sins
You say well, I would ask for forgiveness, but I can't think of a time. I've sinned that would be Donald Trump
That is a stupid statement. I hope he regrets that statement has grown. I don't know. I don't care
Don't ever say something that's stupid. Okay, you should pray for forgiveness because all of us are sinners every single person
I don't care if you're job job was still a sinner
I don't care if you're Noah Noah was still a sinner Moses was still a sinner and we talked about Moses this morning
That guy was awesome. But he was a murderer, you know
He got angry and broke the commandments all of us are sinners go to 1st John chapter number 1 1st John chapter 1
And again, just this theme of humility just keeps coming up when Jesus is teaching us how to pray
It takes a humble person to go to God and say I know I've sinned. I know I have messed up
Please forgive me for that sin 1st John chapter 1 verse 6 says if we say that we have
Notice this word fellowship fellowship with him and walk in darkness
We lie and do not the truth
But if we walk in the light as he is in the light
We have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin
If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us
See when Trump said he would ask for forgiveness if he had anything to ask for forgiveness
He was only tricking himself because we're over here. We're like, do you want us to help you?
Like, okay. Well, how many marriages are you on? You know, how many you know naked women pageants have you put on in the past?
You know, how many casinos do you have like we could help you if you want to you know
Ask God for some forgiveness, but he can't think of anything because these prideful people they only confuse themselves
They only trick themselves in verse number 9 notice if we confess our sins. He is faithful and just
To forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
If we say that we have not sinned we make him a liar and his word is not in us
So notice how in verse 6 it brought up the idea of fellowship
That is why you would want to confess your sins to God because some people get a wrong idea thinking well
I have to ask for forgiveness for my sins to be saved
only problem with that is that you'd have to do that pretty much multiple times a day every day so you die and
That's not how salvation works salvation is a one-time event event putting your trust in Jesus Christ
But what is not a one-time event is having good fellowship with God. That is something that takes work
That is something that takes effort just like any human relationship that you have in your life
You know being friends with someone is not a one-time event
You know if you just met someone and just shook their hand
Hey, nice to meet you and you never talked to them or saw them again for 20 years
Can you say that you have fellowship with that person or that you are friends with that person? Absolutely not
Friendship fellowship it takes actually seeing each other talking to each other
Sometimes you know doing wrong against each other and then fixing problems
Pissing each other off and then making things right, right? This is what happens in real relationships
Well, you know, we're in a relationship with God and the only one that screws up in this relationship is us
You know God is always perfect. He's the best friend you could ask for he always tells you the truth
He corrects you when he needs it, but you know, he's not a jerk that gives correction wrongfully
You know God is just the best friend that there is but for us to maintain that relationship
We need to confess our sins to him ask for forgiveness
And the good news is that he says he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins
You know, once you've confessed it to God don't sit there and have this victim complex this inferiority complex that I'm so terrible
I'm so rotten
I'm not worthy of going to church or reading the Bible or anything like that. Look no God said he's forgiven your sins
He's faithful and just to forgive your sins
If you've confessed it to God if you've asked him for forgiveness then just move on be be allowed to forgive yourself
If God has forgiven you you should forgive yourself
And by the way, if your brothers of Christ have been forgiven for something you better forgive them
And that's why in the model prayer
He says hey, you know
Let's forgive or ask for forgiveness for God in the same way that we forgive those that have sinned against us or those that are
Debtors to us. Well, hopefully that's true for you
Hopefully you actually do forgive those that sin against you and you're not one of these carnal prideful people
That just hold all this bitterness and rage in your heart when someone wrongs you
You know the attitude you should have when someone wrongs you especially if it's not really that big of a deal is hey
I screw up to God all the time. I mess up to God all the time
I sin against God all the time and he forgives me like that. And so, you know what my brother
Oh, my brother said something offensive who cares man. Just move on just love him
Just want good for him want mercy for him because that's what you want from God for you, right?
Go back to Luke chapter number 11 Luke chapter number 11
Another reason you want to pray is to be delivered from temptation
verse number four says and forgive us our sins as we forgive everyone that is indebted to us and
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
So he's saying help us not to be tempted to sin and deliver us from evil from harm
Go to first Corinthians chapter number ten first Corinthians chapter number ten
You know, this is important thing to prayer to pray first of all because you want God to
Divinely intervene and help you not to be in tempting situations
But when you're praying to God and you're thinking about these things then it's on your mind, too
You know you prayed to God that you would not be delivered in temptation and then hopefully you're walking throughout your day thinking
Hey, I don't want to be in temptation. I don't want to be put into a tempting situation
First Corinthians 10 eight says neither let us commit fornication
That's something a lot of people are tempted with today
Aren't they have some of them committed and fell in one day three and twenty thousand neither?
Let us tempt Christ as some of them also tempted and were destroyed of serpents neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured
And were destroyed of the destroyer. That's another thing people are tempted to do murmur now
All of these things happened unto them for examples for they are written for our admonition
Unto upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest
He fall there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man
That means that all the struggles you go through all the things that you're tempted by are the same exact things that everyone else is
Tempted by okay
We don't have any special cases unless you are a reprobate and then you're tempted by things that not common that are not common to
This world but it says but God is faithful who will not suffer you that means allow you to be tempted above that
Ye are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it
So the Bible says that God is not going to allow us to be tempted above something
We can handle you know that means that means that every single time we sin
100% of the time it is always our fault always our fault
It doesn't matter what situation you're in or you're saying I was being pressured by this person
You know the Bible talks about the adulterous woman how with her mouth she forced him
it's a figure of speech saying that he basically fell into her trap that he was a little too close to that temptation and
That adulterous woman caused him to yield. It's a metaphor
But really it was his fault still because it's always the person's fault who actually sins
Why because God said that he will not allow us to be tempted above that we are able there's always an escape route
See Joseph. Oh, and she literally had her hands on me. She literally had my clothes in her hands
Yeah, like Joseph and he literally just ran away from her
He literally ran away so fast that she still had his garment in her hands. So look there's always an escape
There's never an excuse to sin God always gives us a way out
But it's important to just pray God. Will you deliver me from temptation?
Will you just keep me out of that path that way?
God can hopefully orchestrate the situations in your life so that you're not in a Joseph situation
Or if you find yourself in a Joseph situation be like, hey, remember what I prayed this morning
I'm gonna run out of here, right?
That is a good thing to pray go to first on five
Another reason to pray is to intercede for other people to intercede for other people, right?
Not just to pray for yourself. One of the great things about prayer is that it's a way to serve others
It's a way to love other people to intercede for other people first
John 5 16 says if a man if any man see his brother sin a sin, which is not unto death
He shall ask and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death
So Bible saying hey, you saw your brother you saw your sister sin, but it wasn't like a death penalty sin
You know, they weren't out blaspheming God they weren't out, you know hitting their mother and father
Committing adultery or being a sodomite or something like that. What would you do? You'd pray for that person, right?
So it's a good thing to do
It's a good practice when you see other Christians sin to pray for that person
But it says there is a sin unto death. I do not say that he shall pray for it
You know a lot of churches don't get this
There's no such thing as conversion therapy my friend if someone's a sodomite. You're not you're not praying for them God
I just pray that you please make this person straight God already told you that which is crooked cannot be made straight
That's a stupid prayer, and when you see someone pray a prayer into death God
I know this man was committing serial adultery on his wife for 30 years
I pray that you please be merciful to him
No, the right thing would be for that man to be stoned to be executed by the government
You know we're not gonna pray for sins that are unto death, but something below that of course
We should pray for our brethren. I'll read for you Exodus 32 9
It says and the Lord said unto Moses I have seen this people and behold it is a stiff-necked people now
Therefore let me alone that my wrath may wax hot against them and that I may consume them and I will make of thee a great
Nation so God's ready to destroy the people of God here and Moses besought the Lord his God and said Lord
Why did thy wrath walk wax hot against thy people which thou has brought forth out of the land of Egypt?
With great power and with a mighty hand and he goes on he goes on and he prays
For God's people and he stays God's wrath from destroying the children of Israel
So this is a good example that hey
We should intercede for our brothers and sisters in Christ when they've sinned us in not unto death
We can intercede for them and try to get God to be merciful to them go to Psalm 58
But also there's a time to intercede for good. There's also time to intercede against the wicked
this is what is called imprecatory prayers and
If you never heard this preach before you don't really have to have heard it preach because if you just read the book of Psalms
There is a insane amount of imprecatory prayers in the Psalms
Let me show you one of the most popular ones Psalm 58 says this the wicked are strange from the womb
They go astray as soon as they be born speaking lies. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent
They are like the death at her that stop at her ear which will not harken to the voice of charmers
Charming never so wisely break their teeth. Oh God in their mouth
Break out the great teeth of the young lions. Oh Lord
Let them melt away as waters which run continually when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows
Let them be as cut in pieces as a snail which melted
Let every one of them pass away like the untimely birth of a woman that they may not see the Sun
That is interceding. All right for someone but it's not interceding for their blessing
It's asking God to curse them
It's asking God to physically harm them for them to go through extreme physical pain
Yay to even kill them and I'm sorry the Bible talks about God killing people all the time
Oh God, so hateful the God of the Old Testament. God kills people in the New Testament - welcome to the God of the Bible
Okay, he's a God to be feared newsflash
You know these people want to speak against God and call him hateful
You're the exact type of person that should be scared of him because you're mouthing off to him
No, guess what? There's people that are so wicked that have rejected God yay
That hate God and hate his people and it is appropriate to pray against people that hate God
It is appropriate to pray against false prophets
Why because the Bible says that if any man come unto you preaching any other gospel, let him be accursed
Bible saying let him go to hell. It's okay to pray for false prophets to die and go to hell
You know, it's okay to pray against
Metaphiles that molest children that harm poor innocent souls
It's okay to pray that those people get a rock tied around their neck and are cast into the depths of the sea
Like Jesus said should be done to people that offend children, you know someone like that. I'm praying against them
I'm praying for their harm
I'm praying for their destruction and I've seen God answer these types of prayers before and it's a great thing
I rejoice over that why because God is not the God of hallmark cards. This is a serious God that we're dealing with
And you know what you want to hate him. You want to fight against him?
Well, you might be on the end of some imprecatory prayers. It's not a place you want to be
We'll skip some of this for sake of time. Let's go to first John chapter number five
We talked about the practice and the purpose of prayer. Let's talk about lastly the promise of prayer
I want to use this part of the sermon just to remind you of the benefits of prayer
Hopefully motivate us to pray more because there's so many great promises that God has given us when we go to him in
Prayer the first is God's promise to hear us. We read this before but look at first John 514
It says and this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask anything according to his will he
Heareth us, you know, that is a great promise from God that when we ask according to his will here
we are no buddies in Oklahoma on a planet in the Milky Way in a giant universe and we could pray to God according to
His will and he hears us
That is a great promise of God and that is something we should take advantage of
Knowing that we have a secret weapon in this world that the unsaved does not have
The fact that we can go to God and actually be heard by him our requests could come to him and to help us understand
This more how hard do you think would be to get ahold of President Donald Trump?
Probably be really hard to get ahold of him, right? Like like if I made it my goal today
Like I want to have a meeting with President Trump
How many years do you think that would take me to accomplish or would I just never accomplish it?
Right, but here we have God Almighty the one that created all of us the king of kings the ruler of rulers
And I could just in a moment access him at any time. That is amazing
Go to Philippians chapter number four Philippians chapter four. God promises peace through prayer
God promises peace through prayer. I think peace is one of the things that we take for granted the most
Because when it's gone we feel it, but when we have it, it's often something we take for granted
But look at Philippians 4 6 the Bible says be careful for nothing. That's saying don't be stressed out about things
Says but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving
Let your requests be made known unto God and the peace of God which passeth all understanding
Shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, you know
When I look at a Christian or I look at two Christians and both are saved maybe both are even in church
Maybe even both are reading their Bible
But one is stressed out about everything and one just the world is always ending everything's negative and one has a calm and steady peace
I'm looking at two people one that does not pray one that does because the Bible says when you with Thanksgiving
Bring your requests make them known unto God
He gives you peace the peace of God that passeth all
Understanding, you know that is something that we take for granted and I would just admonish you if you feel in life that you're
Overwhelmed that you can't handle it
You probably need to pray more probably need to ask God to help you more because like we said
He's not gonna tempt you above that which you are able. I'll read for you first. John 1 9
Here's another great promise the fact that God promises to forgive us of our sins if we confess our sins
He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
We're almost done this evening. Go to James chapter 5 James chapter 5 another great promise from prayer is the promise of
Healing the promise of healing James 5 15
The Bible says in the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up
And if you have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him
Confess your faults one to another and pray for one another that you may be healed the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man
Availeth much so Bible says that the prayer of faith shall save the sick
Now, of course, we need to balance scripture with my sermon from a couple weeks ago a thorn in the flesh, right?
Sometimes it's actually God's will for you to be sick to be suffering physically. That is the case sometimes
But you know the vast majority of the time it's God's will to heal you because you know
How many times I've been sick in my life many many many times yet every single time I've been healed
Why because the prayer of faith shall save the sick and all the time people get sick in this church
They have issues. They have problems and we pray and they get healed all the time now again
The only exception this would be if it's God's will to humble you by giving you some sort of physical problem or sickness
And of course, we all die someday, right?
So eventually it's gonna be come a point where it's God's will for you to die
But the majority of the time it's God's will to heal you and so believe that have faith in that and pray for God
to heal you
James 1 James chapter 1 flipped the page there another great promise from prayer is the
Promise of wisdom says in verse 5 of James 1 if any of you lack wisdom and a mask of God that giveth to all men
Liberally and abradeth not and it shall be given him
This is an iron clad promise in the Bible that if you desire wisdom if you desire
To actually know the truth and to be wise. Hey read the Bible and pray for God to give that to you
And he will give it to you
This is of course one of the things that Solomon asked for and God granted his request last one
I'll tell you about I'll read for you
Jeremiah 29 12 is the promise of the presence of God
Jeremiah 29 12 says then shall ye call upon me and you shall go and pray unto me and I will hearken unto you and
Ye shall seek me and find me when ye shall search for me with all your heart
You know, that's a great promise in the Bible that when you pray to him when you seek him that God's presence will be with you
And that's part of what can give you peace
You know Paul talked about how all men forsook him but the Lord stood with him
And like I said, God could be the best friend that you have when you pray to him
I want to end with this quote from John or rice John or I said this the normal Christian life is a life of regular
Daily answer to prayer and I have found that to be true in my life, especially when you pray often that the regular
Christian life is daily answer to prayer in the model prayer
Jesus taught which is what we're talking about tonight is decide he taught his disciples to pray daily for bread and expect to get it
Does everyone get food every single day in this church?
look at that and to ask daily for forgiveness for deliverance from the evil one and for other needs and
Daily to get the answers they sought. I want you to know that prayer works and
Prayer, you know is just asking God for something and when we receive those requests
That's God answering our prayers and the daily Christian life is really that a constant daily answering of prayers
But you know what for that to happen? You got to pray. Let's pray Lord. Thank you for this day
Thank you for the great teaching on prayer
I pray that we would just get it settled into our hearts that we'd be a people that praise to you
I pray that we wouldn't have this mentality that we think
We can only talk to you and we have an hour or two or we have to be in some special place
But Lord that we would just talk to you whenever we can whenever we're thinking about you whenever we're thinking about others
And thank you for this great privilege. I pray that people in this church would use it
Well, we love you in Jesus name. We pray. Amen